Taiwan 2014 Day 9 A day in Guanzihling

After the sweltering heat of yesterday we decided to have some relaxation. We went to the Guanziling hot spring area. As it was a little complicated to get to and we would have needed to take the train, bus and walk we just hired a driver to take us. This scenic route only took us an hour so it was definitely worth it. There are only three hot mud springs in the world, this being one of them. We chose the King Garden Villa Resort as it has over twenty different pools and it's mixed sex so we can keep our swimwear on 👍.

We had lots of fun popping in and out of the various outdoor pools, ranging from freezing dung pools to boiling pools at 43.7 degrees. We covered our bodies with the hot mud and relaxed while all the minerals got to work.

 The indoor pools were cooler and they had varied water jets. Some were so powerful and painful that we wondered how these could be good for you 😂. One of them was so vigorous that once you were under it you couldn't get out of it till it stopped. It was all very amusing.

      

When not using the pools there are exercise areas that have numerous contraptions to jiggle you about to get rid of all your wobbly bits, which we definitely had more of than the Taiwanese. After finishing off our hot springs adventure in the steam room and sauna and a final freezing dunk we arranged our route back to Tainan.

We traveled via the Dongshan Coffee Highway. The coffee highway runs through 150 acres of organic coffee growing plantations, dotted along the route are plenty of small cafes selling the local brew that they have grown and harvested. We chose a little farm called Tung Hsiang Cat coffee house where we idled the afternoon away drinking the fantastic coffee, eating the homemade biscuits, and taking in the breathtaking views. 

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To finish our most relaxing day so far we decided to bombard our senses at one of the many Tainan night markets. The first meal of the night was chopped squid in a bag with various pickles which was delicious. The second meal was a shrimp patty burger in a crispy noodle bun which also was very nice.

       

We decided against the D.I.Y meal of "Catch it, BBQ it, eat it "

    

The only meat eater in the group would not be peer pressured in to this though.

So it's off to bed for us after a very relaxing yet long day.